Chapter 292: The Merit Pool Really Has Merit

"This is your credential. To ensure accurate recording, carry it with you at all times and do not encase it in any sealing technique."

Taking a wooden plaque from the temple attendant of the Chenghuangmiao, Feng Xue glanced at it and immediately understood how it worked.

It wasn't that he was particularly clever—it was because this thing was essentially the same as the talismans and spells he'd created in his previous world.

It didn't contain a fragment of a false deity, so it couldn't precisely record every spell cast like his own talismans could, but with just a technique similar to demonic detection, it could still record the discovery and elimination of malevolent spirits.

He casually hung the spirit plaque on his wrist but didn't set out immediately; he wasn't familiar with this city, and lying in wait for demonic outbreaks was unrealistic. Rather than diving straight into work, he preferred to see this so-called Merit Pool first.

"So this is what they call the 'hidden bounty'?"

Before the Merit Pool, Feng Xue gazed at the luminous, canopied force of wishes hovering above the water, his eyebrows slightly lifting. The Merit Pool was essentially the same as Western wishing wells—places where petitioners tossed copper coins into the water to make wishes.

Yet the peculiar spiritual radiance of this Merit Pool was enough to prove it wasn't merely a hollow token for peace of mind.

With a single sweep of the Spirit-Viewing Technique, distinct clusters of wish-force unfolded before his eyes—

【I hope my mother gets better soon!】

【I want to marry a wife!】

【I hope this business deal succeeds!】

【I beg the City God to punish that bastard Wang Laohu!】

…

All kinds of wishes, carried by tiny copper coins, floated above the wishing pool. Without any explanation, Feng Xue understood: fulfilling the obsessions behind these wishes would grant him their wish-force.

Though cultivators didn't all require wish-force, as the universal currency of the Nether Bureaucracy, it was excellent for personal use, for the Zijiazu Sect, or for trading with other cultivators—it was effectively a general equivalent in the Cultivator Realm.

So in a sense, this place truly was the local bounty board.

Yet most ordinary petitioners didn't realize their single copper coin's wish could actually summon the aid of a cultivator.

Or rather, if one truly held such expectations, the wish-force would lose its purity and forfeit its value as a "bounty," ultimately sinking to the bottom like countless other coins, later being dredged up with other useless coins to become part of the Chenghuangmiao's incense offerings—a form of apology from those whose hearts lacked sincerity for "misusing public resources."

"Fascinating—the one who created this Merit Pool must be a genius!"

Feng Xue watched the canopied wish-force of the Merit Pool and nodded inwardly; this canopy wasn't just the copper coins bearing wishes—even the pool water itself, steeped over years, had absorbed traces of wish-force. Given enough time, it might even give birth to something like a "Self-Disciplined Wish Spirit"—where sincere coin offerings would spontaneously coalesce into tangible aid to fulfill the wish.

"It's like the intermediary taking a commission."

As Feng Xue pondered this, he suddenly walked toward a young man with over 170 years of life remaining and politely asked:

"Esteemed fellow cultivator, may I ask—when claiming a hidden bounty from the Merit Pool, do I simply act on a wish, or are there formalities? For example, do I need to retrieve the copper coins?"

"You…?" The "young man" was clearly startled that his cultivator identity had been instantly recognized, but after a moment's hesitation, he refrained from asking an embarrassing question. Seeing Feng Xue's unmistakably refined bearing, he replied courteously:

"You're too kind, fellow cultivator. The Merit Pool requires no formal acceptance—once you see a wish and decide to fulfill it, the karmic bond is formed. You simply follow the wish-force's connection to the petitioner, complete the task, then return here to collect your reward."

"Truly a marvel of divine craftsmanship!" Feng Xue exclaimed, deeply moved—but still puzzled: if the Chenghuangmiao was networked, why didn't the ones in Lu City or Ping'an County have this? Surely not because they were too small?

Feng Xue didn't know he'd guessed correctly. To "sustain" a Merit Pool required long-term "feeding." In a place with only a few hundred thousand people, there simply weren't enough intense wishes or enough cultivators to fulfill them. If wishes went unclaimed too long, they could turn into deficits (e. g., a petitioner dying before their wish was fulfilled), leaving no fertile ground for a Merit Pool.

He scanned the pool's wishes, noted several related to healing and saving lives, and had Xiao Lingdang log them, then strolled leisurely out of the Chenghuangmiao.

The demonic outbreaks hadn't fully erupted yet—first, heal and save lives.

"Received!" Xiao Lingdang activated instantly at the keyword; far better than chasing wish-force himself, the Guiding Goddess knew exactly how to navigate it. Following the marked route, Feng Xue returned to Chicken Cage Village.

Then again, if one had money, one could simply hire a renowned physician or a high-level Xuan cultivator—no need to pin all hope on a single copper coin.

But Feng Xue didn't care much. He wandered through alleys until he reached the location indicated by the wish-force. Though it was New Year's Eve, the door bore only hastily pasted Spring Festival couplets, slightly crooked.

Listening closely, faint coughs could be heard. Feng Xue now had his answer, and gently knocked on the door. After a moment, a weary-looking woman opened it.

Seeing Feng Xue's appearance, the woman froze, then spoke timidly:

"Sir… Young Master, what… what do you need?"

"Hello, I'm a physician with a clinic in East Alley. Someone told me you have a sick person—I've come to examine them," Feng Xue said gently, subtly employing a touch of illusionary influence.

The woman's expression flushed with embarrassment, yet she stammered:

"We have no money…"

"Someone has already paid," Feng Xue waved his hand, still calm: "May I see the patient first?"

"May I see the patient first?"

The woman, under Mo Ying's illusion, stepped aside to let him in. Oil lamps glowed dimly inside, casting a gloomy light. After taking two steps, a hoarse male voice called out:

The woman, affected by Seeing Mo Ying's enchantment, stepped aside to clear the path inside. An oil lamp burned in the room, but it was still unavoidably dim. Before he had taken two steps, a hoarse male voice said:

"A physician. Someone paid your fee and sent him to treat you."

"Who would pay for a doctor for me? Probably…" The man struggled to rise, fearing a scammer—but upon seeing Feng Xue's demeanor, he fell silent. After all, Feng Xue's "bearing and expression" were such that even his entire family combined couldn't afford to move him.

Now the man began to wonder: could he truly have a生死之交 who quietly arranged for a doctor?

At this moment, the man also began to wonder—could it be that he truly had a life-and-death friend willing to secretly help him summon a physician?

(End of Chapter)